Like raindrops clattering off an Edinburgh summer parasol, advance copies of the August Spurtle are already spreading across the barony and will land somewhere near you soon.
Issue 332 marks this publication’s second strong start in a row by getting the month right on Page 1.
It continues with reports of flags (some of them absent), pop-ups (which didn’t), a peculiar pair (about to go under) and help for the hard-pressed from all walks of life.
Oh, and a beacon of hope … genuinely exciting news for those who care about local journalism across Scotland.
The Broughton screech, a long-distance yomp and ginger super-heroes nibbling at knee-height feature on Page 2. As do items on sewerage, pink nonsense, green common sense and dogs off the leash.
Who doesn't like oats?
Who doesn’t like oats? Certainly not us, especially when they’re fast and furious. We plunge in on Page 3 before diverting to red wheels and the surprisingly funny subject of climate change.
We also find space for Archimedes (late of this parish), bright lights, bin-related rejoicing (lack of it), Pilrig’s wide-open acres, and a new neighbourly stink in the New Town.
All good things must come to an end. So must mediocre and bad ones. Make up your own mind on Page 4, where we conclude with the latest on Cave Art, brilliant days out in Broughton (with or without bits of your body you had when you started), TV locations and lumpen things which won’t fall on your car but may delay you.
At last, in short
In short: imagine condensing everything you ever knew at school or university or since, refocusing it for no money on part of a barony (which no longer exists) not much bigger than a square mile, then compacting all that into three-and-a-third A-4 pages printed so small that few loyal readers can still decipher it, and you have one element of the Broughton Spurtle’s uniquely successful business model since 1994.
Find us in pubs, clubs, eateries, libraries, services, and online here from midnight on 1 August. Alternatively, download a colourful pdf from our website here after midnight on 1 August.
If you have gossip or a story for us (and we depend on readers’ input every month), please contact us at spurtle@hotmail.co.uk. We treat all such contacts in strictest confidence.
